Think-Dash: VanHawks Valour Smart Bike On Its Way To Production

Originally published on Gas2.

By promising top-shelf road bike performance along with improved safety, data-driven routes, and built-in sensors that monitor and record every part of your ride, the VanHawks Valour have set the bar pretty freakin’ high for themselves. Still, I can confidently say that this “smart bike” concept is well on its way to production.

That’s because- at the time of this writing- they’ve already raised more than $395,000 of their stated $100,000 goal.

That’s right. This smart bike startup is funded- to the tune of some 400% more than it needed to “get things right”. So, it’s happening- they’re gonna get things right. Now, let’s talk about some of those things VanHawks is gonna get right, shall we?

First off, the VanHawks Valour is made from ultra lightweight carbon composites. That’s nothing new, but what is new is the ultra low price tag on these ultra light (15.8 lbs., total) bicycles. A Valour fixie, for example, can still be had for just $1049 … which isn’t too far removed from my old Langster, which was decidedly not carbon, smart, or half as dead-sexy as the Valour.

Next, the VanHawks are promising that their smart bike can actually make you safer. To illustrate the point, they’ve provided this animated gif, which …

… yeah, makes it pretty clear that the VanHawks smart bike has some clever, haptic feedback stuff going on to keep you from ~~singing the song of the sausage creature~~ getting run over in heavy urban traffic.

At launch, the (surprisingly reasonably priced) VanHawks Valour smart bike will be able to connect to iPhones, Android phones, and even Pebble smart watches. Production is set to begin this July, with the first batch of bikes shipping in September. To find out more, head on over to VanHawks’ Kickstarter page, and let us know how you think this compares to bikes from Smart or Local Motors in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!